Countdown to Opening Day: 12 days -- Tally Hall sets club record with 12 shutouts in 2012

Countdown to Opening Day: 12 days -- Tally Hall sets club record with 12 shutouts in 2012

With the Dynamo set to begin the 2013 season in just 12 days – against D.C. United at BBVA Compass Stadium on March 2 – we are counting down to kickoff with a Dynamo-centric countdown to opening day. See the bottom of this post for the complete countdown list.

Each day, we’ll post a short description of what makes the number significant. If you have any Dynamo-related numbers of your own, post them in the comment section below.

Today, we continue with #12:

Dynamo goalkeeper Tally Hall had 12 shutouts in 2012, the most in a season by a goalkeeper in club history. The previous mark was set by Pat Onstad, who had 11 clean sheets in 2007. Hall's rise to the elite of MLS goalkeepers has been swift: In two seasons, he has reached two MLS Cup finals, been named an MLS all-star (in 2011), and set the club record for shutouts. Along the way, he also set a club record by starting 67 consecutive games, from opening day 2011 to the final game of 2012, when the Dynamo rested most starters at Colorado to prepare for the playoffs.

Half of Hall's 12 shutouts came in a remarkable 30-day stretch in which Hall and the Dynamo recorded six shutouts in seven games. The remarkable defensive run began on July 3 with a 0-0 draw against the Chicago Fire and continued through a 2-0 home win over the New York Red Bulls on August 3. In between, Hall and his teammates allowed a single goal, a penalty in a 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on July 18, which was the only goal allowed in the seven-game run.

After two stellar years as a starting goalkeeper, the 27-year-old was rewarded with his first invitation to a U.S. senior national team camp in January.

Below is a list of all of Hall's regular season shutouts in 2012:

DATE

OPPONENT

SCORE

NOTE

3/11

@ Chivas USA

1-0 W

Opening Day shutout began seven-game road trip

3/17

@ San Jose

1-0 W

Clean sheet led to San Jose's only home loss in 2012; Earthquakes scored 43 goals in 16 other home games